An examination of the efficacy and safety of low intensity weight training in phase II cardiac patients

Resistance training for cardiac patients has traditionally been discouraged. The purpose of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of a three day/week, six week low intensity strength training program in 33 stable phase II cardiac rehabilitation patients. Subjects were randomly assigned to arm training (n=11), leg training (n=11), and control (n=11) groups prior to study participation. All subjects engaged in traditional aerobic exercise (treadmill, arm ergometer, bicycle ergometer, and steps). In addition to aerobic exercise, arm training subjects performed 20-25 repetitions of unilateral arm curl exercise at 30-40% of one repetition maximum (1 RM) while leg training subjects performed 20-25 repetitions of seated leg extension exercise at 30-40% of 1 RM. Ten RM arm curl and leg extension strength assessment was conducted for all subjects before and after six weeks of training. ECG, heart rate (HR), and systolic blood pressure (SBP) were monitored during all activities. Self-efficacy scores for arm and leg tasks were also determined for resistance training groups before and after training. Results indicated that 10 RM arm curl strength scores for the arm training group significantly (p<.01) increased 67% following resistance training while 10 RM leg extension strength also significantly (p<.01) increased 53.8% for the leg training group after resistance training. No signs or symptoms of ischemia or abnormal HR or SBP responses were observed during the strength training program. Results showed no significant (p>.05) correlation between strength increase and enhanced self-efficacy scores as a result of participation in resistance training. It was concluded that low intensity weight training is hemodynamically safe for phase II patients and resulted in significant (p<.01) increases in upper and lower extremity muscular strength when compared with traditional aerobic exercise training.